Biggest Mistakes Coaches Make Writing Products (and easy fixes)

Backstory

If you’ve been following my site for a while, you’ll know that I develop all sorts of coaching products that I share with other coaches and I’ve also been blogging for several years. It’s a great fit for my skills, expertise and passions. I love what I do!

What you may or may not know, is that in the last two years I’ve also been reviewing other coaches products and giving them advice on how to make them better. I work with awesome coaches from all sorts of niches (including: Real Estate Coaches, Leadership Coaches, Retirement Coaches, Christian Coaches, Business Coaches, Personal Trainers, Wellness Coaches, etc.). It’s been the perfect, next step for me and my business.

One of the biggest surprises for me has been the number of times I repeat the same feedback to my clients, specifically on their information products (i.e. eBooks, worksheets, kits, and workbooks). In my first review, my advice is rarely about the complex, philosophical, nuances of different coaching approaches, structure, exercise design, and how to write better as a teacher (my expertise). The most blaring areas for improvement come from really simple stuff which is easy to fix…at least, once you know what to look out for.

BINGO!

When I notice a trend like this with my clients, I know that other coaches out there are probably experiencing the same things. That means… it’s time to write an article!

Be sure to mark each bit of your text with a defined ‘style type’. This will:

Enforce a consistent use of visual styling throughout your document to help your reader mentally group text into a logical hierarchy for improved readability and understanding of the message.

Make editing easier and quicker for you. For example, when you use styles, you can update the formatting of all text within the defined ‘style type’ in one go!

Enable you to easily generate a table of contents within the product which is an essential part of any product with many sections/chapters.

So, save yourself heaps of time in your Product Development phases by using ‘styles’ in Word. And if you STILL don’t get what I’m talking about, check out this handy pictorial guide.

Mistake #2: Don’t Use Sub-headings, Short Paragraphs, and Bullet Points

Improve readability/scanability even more by using sub-headings, short paragraphs and bullet points. Break up big, intimidating blocks of text into easily digestible, bite size chunks. You’ll probably find that the overall ‘flow’ of your writing improves as well!

In your products sub-headings can be as simple as:

Introduction

Purpose

How to use this

Helpful tips

Mistake #3. Don’t Use Covers and Imagery

A picture really does speak 1000 words!

Covers Take the time to create eye catching covers for your work or pay someone to do it for you. It’s worth the time/money you invest and it’s fast and easy.

I created this (right) in WORD! Alternatively, you can get great deals for cover designs on Fiverr.com or the UK spin-off, Fivesquids.co.uk.

Imagery Also, remember to complement your writing with images. Imagery spices up the design and gives the reader another sensory input.

Mistake #5. Don’t Ask Coaching Questions

Imagine you’ve just written a lengthy chapter, in your new eBook, teaching the four most important concepts needed to achieve X…

Ask amazing coaching questions.

Chances are good that each concept I your chapter is going to totally blow your readers mind (remember how your mind was blown the first time you discovered these things?!).

Give your reader an opportunity to reflect! At the end of each concept, ask a few awesome coaching questions. Be sure to use all of your training here – throw in Milton language, use presuppositions, etc.. Have fun with it. Challenge yourself as a coach to come up with the most awesome coaching questions possible!

Here are some ideas:

Briefly describe a time when this has happened to you in the past and how it made you feel.

Imagine a time in the future when you can use this tool, what is different now?

What 3 insights have you gained from this concept?

What will you do differently now as a result of having read this?

Want to help your client move forward? Want to help her find her own answers? Want to help her move from passive reader to actively engaged?

Well, awesome coaching questions do just that!

Mistake #6. Start and Don’t Finish

Sometimes the coach/writer chooses to get so overwhelmed with fear that he starts his product but never finishes. It’s usually, a very natural fear like a fear of being seen, fear of rejection, fear of not being good enough, fear of success.

The thing is, we are all scared sometimes. The coaches who end up launching their own information products just have better strategies for managing their fear (here are some of mine: Self Talk, 4- Levels or Being, and Comfort Zones).

So stock up on your fear management tools! Then, get your product done and get it online!

Get Writing the Right Way

I truly believe that every single coach out there has a unique and special message to share. No other coach out there is you (has your background, experiences, training, values, vision, passions, moral code). If you are in this for the long haul, you need to write – warts and all.

Writing and publishing your work is how you get better. If you look at my first articles, workshops and books…shew – they suck! But I’ve pigheadedly stuck with it and my reward is that I just keep getting better.

Having said all that, if you are writing or are just about to get stared, please at a minimum, just do the opposite of the biggest mistakes I see most coaches making and I guarantee you’ll be ahead of the pack!

Join the Conversation!

What do you find the most difficult aspect of writing information products? And what tips would you give to others?

Benay creates expert tools and systems for coaches wanting to supercharge their business. She runs her business totally online while traveling the world with her family (husband, toddler and 2 dogs). She's been coaching professionally since 2006, has a Diploma in Life Coaching, is an NLP Practitioner and has an extensive background in business analysis and high-end, IT system development.

11 Comments

Hello Benay, Thank you! I grabbed many nuggets here!! To answer your questions, for me it was Mistake #4. Don’t Use White Space- Truly never thought about this concept for my work. I’ve ponder about it when reading other authors, but never ‘worked it into’ my own psyche. So thanks- it makes a lot of sense.

And then there was, “The thing is, we are all scared sometimes.” That brought a smile to my face and a greater determination follow your advice and get published ‘warts and all’! LOL!

BTW- love the updates to LCO! Keep up the good work (so I can do mine better;) Yay!

Etienne, you’ve got enough love and enthusiasm inside you to inspire for all of us! You can do it! Becides, writing your first product, especially a full program/ebook, is one of the most empowering bits of work a coach can do! -B

Hi Brian. Great question. Here is a template you can use. Once you’ve edited it and are happy with the look. Print the file as a PDF. Once you’ve got the PDF, go to the first page of your ebook file and ‘import image/picture’. Select the PDF and viola you have a cover!

Its like you read my thoughts! You seem to understand a lot about this, such as you wrote the guide in it or something. I feel that you simply can do with a few p.c. to power the message house a bit, however other than that, this is wonderful blog. A great read. I will certainly be back.